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Posts from the ‘Seasons’ Category

Sep 21

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Feather Light

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” – Saint Francis de Sales

“Where hast thou wandered, gentle gale, to find the perfumes thou dost bring?” – William C. Bryant

“Where hast thou wandered, gentle gale, to find the perfumes thou dost bring?” – William C. Bryant

Soft and gentle;
Strong and supple;
Grounded while reaching for the sky.

Signs of how to live surround us in quiet wandering;
Steeped in the moment;
Grateful for the beauty that is ever-present.

May you walk easy through this world, in grace, fully aware and awake.
Feather light.

“A gentle heart is tied with an easy thread.” – George Herbert

Sep 18

Ease Into Today

“On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the world is full of beauty. Today is such a day.” – Rumi

In sailing terms, ease means to let the sails out. Trim means to pull the sails in. Depart the dock of your mind and ease into today. Every day is new and awaits our fullness of presence in all that it offers. One day at a time. That is all that is asked of us. Let the sails out.

“Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.” – Wu Men

“Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.” – Wu Men

Sep 11

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Crisp

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Clarity affords focus.” – Thomas Leonard

“Simplicity, clarity, singleness: These are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy as they are also the marks of great art. They seem to be the purpose of God for his whole creation.” – Richard Holloway

As crisp as a Fall morning, may you be acutely aware of , , ,

the beauty that surrounds you;
the peace that can only come from God;
the voice deep within that invites you to unfold;
the longing in your soul to be more, not do more;
the steady pull that slows you down while moving you forward;
the call that quietly brings you back to center of what’s true;
the hope and joy that remain steady amidst difficulty;
the brevity of this life that reminds us to let go of the minuscule;
the beating of the hearts of those who are on this journey too:
the laughter of the child that is your own;
the delight that’s hiding in plain sight to be captured daily.

May gratitude lure you back again and again to all that is in this very moment.
Crisp and clear, freely enter the mystery and gift of each day.

Sep 7

Roots

“All things must come to the soul from its roots, from where it is planted.” – Saint Teresa of Avila

The weekly grass cutting turned into a bit more than a routine chore this weekend.  As I moved a branch on a bush that’s been in my yard for years, it broke off. The next branch, the same. When I looked closer, the roots were dry, weak and rotted. One branch after another kept coming out. A few stubborn ones had to be axed out. I cut up the remains and the branches are ready to be burned in the fire pit on a cool evening.

What other dry and hollow things need to be uprooted and discarded? So often, we let assumptions, biases and insecurities take root. Take a closer look. What needs to go to see a new view, to make a fresh start, to move onto the next chapter? Make time for some digging and axing as well as watering and nurturing. The shallow must go to make room for what’s real and deeply rooted.

“Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something's time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.” – Henry Cloud

“Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something’s time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.” – Henry Cloud

Mar 29

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In-between

“Life is one big transition.” – Willie Stargell

“Life is one big transition.” – Willie Stargell

Not still winter yet not quite spring.
In-between.
On the edge.
The grip of winter slowly releases allowing hints of spring to appear.
Moments gather to days and transition time prepares us for transformation.
Releasing what was for what is to be, to the new, the next.

The sun and the rain do their job melting the ice’s resolve.
Blue breaks through the white and the frozen evolves into water.
Gently giving way for the next season.
That which occurs does so in the right time.
Not hurried, prodded or pushed.
In due time, not our time.

Mar 8

8 Comments

1825 days

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank

“Whoever is happy will make others happy too.” – Anne Frank

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” – Omar Khayyam

We celebrated Lily’s 5th birthday today. Or from her perspective, she’s celebrating 1825 days since she makes each and every one count. Make today, tomorrow and the next day count with enthusiasm, gratitude and generosity of spirit. Happy day.

Mar 7

7 Comments

Thaw

“Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life. Earth teach me resignation as the leaves which die in the fall. Earth teach me courage as the tree which stands all alone. Earth teach me regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring.” – William Alexander

After high 30s yesterday and with a steady increase into the 50s the next few days, the snow will melt transforming the hard ground into soft green grass. The spring thaw uncovers not only the girls’ toys but my socks that they’ve snuck out the past four months. When they grabbed one this morning, I let them go knowing clean up begins today and it gave me a good laugh.

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.” – Ellis Peters

“Every spring is the only spring, a perpetual astonishment.” – Ellis Peters

The thaw brings a newness and fresh start that we all need on many levels. It’s been a particularly busy three months and there’s been a lot of autopilot just grinding it out, doing more and more. Frozen and buried in habits of too much doing.

As winter transforms to spring, so can we. The thaw of our judgments, assumptions and ego makes way for hope, joy, kindness and delight in each day. The buds asleep beneath the earth break through and the beauty and promise of what’s next reveals itself in its own time. Cast light and let the thaw begin.

Nov 9

15 Comments

Embrace

“We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives.” – Gary Zukav

The rituals are the same each year. The final grass cutting, raking the remaining leaves, bring in the hose and check the snow blower. A 100 percent chance of snow tomorrow and the first snow of the season, winter officially begins. As if surprised by its return, we brace ourselves for winter.

Often we choose to brace for the worst rather than embrace the possibilities and promise in all that is before us. Wishing time away to move quickly past our “winters,” eagarly longing for our “springs.” Yet when we move through our winters fully awake, we find ourselves, our light in the cold and stark. Our resilience, our hope, our grit, our creativity. Winter brings a quiet time that slows us enough to listen, to hear.

So my wish for us all this winter eve is that we embrace our “Mondays” and “winters” with the vigor and anticipation of our “Fridays” and “springs.”

 

Oct 23

22 Comments

The Next 50

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” – Sophia Loren

I am taking a few days off to relax and enjoy the remaining hours of my 49th year. People asked what I am going to do and I told them that I am going to reflect on the past 50 years and think about what I am going to do with my next 50 years. Time moves quickly and slowly at the same time. We wish days away and then suddenly we’re 50 and feel like 30.

If we don’t pause along the way to witness what was and is right now, we miss the gifts and blessings that surround and embrace us. Regret can only be avoided if we remain present in each moment and aware of our power over our own lives and not distracted by the noise.

When we’re younger, we work on getting experience to get to the next thing, the next promotion, the next opportunity, the next trophy… Now I am more interested in experiencing each day giving my best regardless of recognition, learning new things, gaining insight, creating meaning, traveling lighter, letting worries go, trying to be much less serious and making good use of the experience I have earned by growing others.

Looking back, I don’t have the life I thought I would have but I have the life I was meant to and doing my best to live it well. And each day is overflowing with gratitude, grace, love and sprinkled with delight in the simple moments. Figure out what really matters right now and make each day its own end. So instead of the next 50 years, I think I’ll focus on the next 50 minutes.

Sep 9

6 Comments

Turn, Turn, Turn

“Our soul – with its insistence on finding the still point from which it keeps rising – carries us through the seasons of our lives. The still point under all that keeps moving waits under every season we can imagine.” – Mark Nepo, Seven Thousand Ways to Listen

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted …” Ecclesiastes 3

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted …” Ecclesiastes 3

Every season carries its own gifts. As summer wanes, the cool crisp morning air of autumn slowly enters, stage left. The summer days linger in the warm afternoon as the sunset exits earlier, stage right. Summer transforms slowly, then suddenly. Green turns to waves of orange, red and gold swaying in the wind to the crackling carpet beneath our feet.

If we remember and let go of the sweet summer days, we can open the blessings and harvest of autumn with no regret, filled with the same anticipation of spring to summer.

As more seasons pass, gratitude, hope and joy deepen in the small things, in the grace of moment-rich days. Be awake to the gifts of each season, accepting and appreciating all that comes from each one. A time to every purpose under heaven – turn, turn, turn.

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